Animal experimentation: revelations behind the scenes at Strasbourg University's SILABE laboratory

Injuries, illnesses, etc. In addition to experimentation, a life of suffering

For the macaques “housed” in this center, existence seems to be nothing but a succession of sufferings, between the experiments they undergo and detention conditions unworthy of their most basic needs. The list of horrors endured is long, but the follow-up sheets to which we have had access give a glimpse of these lives of exploitation.

We think of Pêcheresse, who underwent an “endometrial biopsy by curettage through the cervix”, whose “vagina [was] pierced” with a “large curette”. Of Basilic, who himself removed the implant fixed in his skull, a reaction indicative of the extreme stress and pain he was experiencing. Archimedes, meanwhile, had his tail partially amputated due to a bite, then, later, completely amputated due to the cold.

Necroses appear for no apparent reason, accompanied by wounds, contusions, dislocations and fractures, sometimes leading to the death of the animals, always to unspeakable suffering. And that’s not all: salmonella or E. Coli infections are frequent, an inevitable consequence of the conditions in which the animals are kept. We’re a long way from the image of the irreproachable laboratory, with its well-monitored tests and reliable results… even further from SILABE’s communication boasting its respect for the animals it exploits for a lot of money.

Although the causes of death are often very imprecise – as noted in a 2021 inspection report – they are nonetheless eloquent: there are those who die “euthanized for scientific reasons”, during experiments, and the very many others who succumb due to a “significant deterioration in general condition”, when they simply no longer have the strength to live.

SILABE and macaques: the story of a highly lucrative business

As we have already revealed, SILABE is a veritable hub for the trade in macaques intended for experimentation. The data we collected confirms this: for long-tailed macaques (Fascicularis) alone, of the 2014 individuals that passed through the center between 1995 and 2024, more than half (1195) were transferred. A life spent being shipped from laboratory to laboratory to suffer atrocities…

Many of these monkeys come from Mauritius, where their capture and breeding conditions are unspeakably violent, and what’s more, illegal, as our investigation has revealed. Once in France, they are subjected to veritable ordeals of torture, at SILABE and all the other centers that buy them from it, such as NeuroSpin, where serial negligence has led to the death of many animals in great suffering. And this despite the fact that alternatives exist and are largely underfunded.

While the fight is progressing, as illustrated by Air France’s commitment to no longer transport imported monkeys to experimentation centers (a commitment we obtained with our partners), it remains more necessary than ever to maintain the pressure to demand that the authorities ban the use of long-tailed macaques. Sign the petition and appeal to the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research to demand an end to animal experimentation and the adoption of alternative methods: download the standard letter.